Earlier than Monday’s fixture within the Ladies’s Premier League, Gautami Naik was a largely unknown commodity in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s star-studded batting unit. That’s more likely to change after the 27-year-old’s 55-ball 73 — the middle-order batter’s first half-century in her first season — powered the previous champion to a 61-run victory in opposition to Gujarat Giants on the Kotambi Stadium. It prolonged RCB’s streak this season to 5 wins in as many matches, and likewise made it the primary workforce to cement a playoff berth.
Having compiled 178 for six in 20 overs, Smriti Mandhana and Co. restricted the Giants to 117 for eight due to a collective bowling effort spearheaded by Sayali Satghare (4-0-21-3). The hosts misplaced a heap of wickets up entrance within the chase, leaving skipper Ashleigh Gardner with an excessive amount of to do on her personal. The ace all-rounder put up a valiant effort with a contribution of 54, however her dismissal within the seventeenth over was the ultimate nail.
Throughout the course of Gautami’s enterprising knock, she solid helpful partnerships of 60 and 69 with Smriti and Richa Ghosh respectively.
RCB had a sedate begin to its innings, shifting alongside to 37 for 2 on the finish of the PowerPlay with Grace Harris and Georgia Voll again within the dugout. As soon as the fielding restrictions eased, Gautami managed to up the ante with a luxurious flick off Renuka that sailed over deep sq. leg for the sport’s first most. In the identical over, Smriti punished a back-of-a-length ball with a short-arm pull for 4.
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Shortly after, nevertheless, Gardner snared the all-important wicket of Smriti. Fairly than getting slowed down by the downfall of the RCB captain, Gautami was capable of take cost in Richa’s firm. Within the twelfth over, leggie Georgia Wareham conceded 13 runs, with Gautami creaming a canopy drive for 4 and Richa smashing a six within the course of long-off.
The RCB wicketkeeper belted two extra maximums in a 17-run sixteenth over by left-arm spinner Tanuja Kanwar. If not for the Giants dismissing Richa and Gautami within the house of three deliveries, RCB’s margin of victory might have been greater.
Revealed on Jan 19, 2026